Lamp and lantern



June 30, 1925. 1,544,119

a. F. ZAUN LAMP AND LANTERN Filed May 5. 1922 INVENTOR, Q0! 6 10/1);

A TTORNEY 1,544,119 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE l. ZAUH, OF SAN BERHARDINO, CALIFORNIA.

nan manna-m.

Application fled Kay 8, 1938 Serial ID. 558,175.

To' all whom it mayvoacem:

Be it known that I, Gaonun F. ZAUN, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Bernardino, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lamps and Lanterns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lamps and lanterns, and particularly to that form of lightgivin devlce adaptable for railroad switches and e like. The invention has for an object the provision of a lantern adapted to dirttizt the rays of light along any desired In practicing the invention I provide a lamp or lantern the lens portion 0 which is adjustable; that is to say, may be set at various angles so as to cause a light beam to travel in a given direction. In one embodi ment of the invention I provide two lens members, one of which has plane faces set at angles to each other and the second lens member is provided with circular prisms, both of said lens members being adjustable as to angularity they may assume relative to each other.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel and useful provision, formation, construction, combination and interrelation of parts, members and features, all as shown in the drawing, described in the following statement and finally pointed out with particularity in the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 isa sideview of a. lantern incorporating the invention;

Figures 2 and 3 show adaptions of the said lantern for railroad use; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view showing the means for directing a beam of light in a 'ven direction.

Correspon ing parts in all the figures are designated by the same reference characters.

Referring with particularity to the drawing A designates in its entirety and in one embodiment a lantern member incorporating the invention. The lantern member shown in Figure 1 is of the form customarily used for switch purposes on railway tracks, and may be illuminated by means of a burner 01- by electricity. In the adaptation shown in Figure 1 the lantern includes a. body member (1 provided with four openings for the emission of light. Cylinder or hood members 1 are joined to the body and surround the opemngs, and it is customary for said hoods 1 to carry lenses such as shown at a in Figure 4. The opposed lenses, that is, arranged on opposite sides of the body d, may be green, while the two lenses a at right angles to the green lenses are usually red. If the lantern is then placed at the switch point shown at 2 in Figure 2, the switch when thrown will show a red light down the main hne track, while when the switch is open the green lights may appear. The same might be true for a track such as shown in Figure 3 where the track goes up grade and then down grade. The chief difliculty with the'present type of lantern as now used for railroad purposes, has been that where a switch is concerned, the engineer fails to see the bulls eye, as it may be termed, with the result that he is almost upon the lantern before he becomes aware of the light, and 1f the light happened to be red it often times happens that the train cannot be stopped in time to prevent an accident. Within the scope of the objects of this invention, I provide a lamp or lantern which may have the rays emitted from the source of light directed in any desired direction, whereby the engineer of a train may at all times within a given distance see the full bulls eye of the lantern Referring to the adaptation of the device as shown in Figure 2, we will assume that the ends as 3 and 4 carry the red lens, while ends 5 and'6 carry green lenses. The lenses 3 and 4 are each turned so that the bulls eye faces the resultant 7 between the angles 8 and 9, said angles 8 and 9 being the same as the angle included between the tracks 10 of the switch and the main line tracks 11. As a result the light will be directed in the path 7 which is the resultant of the two angles 8 and 9, and an engineer of a train approaching down the track 10 would see the bulls eye in time to stop the train, and an engineer approaching on the main line track 11 would also witness the bulls eye. Obviously, if the lenses were perfectly straight, such as shown at 5 and 6, the engineer on the tracks 10 would not see the bulls eye until he was ahnost upon the lantern.

In Figure 3 the lantern A has been placed at the peak of two inclines, and the lens facing down the tracks has been so adjusted that the rays of light are parallel with the tracks. If the light were reflected in a true horizontal plane then the engineer of a train going up the gradewould not see the bulls eye until he was on a level with the same.

WVhile Figures 2 and 3 show but two adaptations of the invention, other uses for the said lantern may be readily thought of, such as incorporating the same in crossing signals so that an engineer of a train can determine whether or not the said crossing signal is working properly, and at a considerable distance rom the crossing signal. Quite obviously the device could be used on a curve as readily as for a switch member. The specific construction of one embodiment of the device is shown in Figures 1 and 4, and in which the cylinder or hood 1 is provided with an annular flanged member 12. Adapted to be detachably joined with the member 1 are a series of annular members or hoods 13 and 14. The member 13 has a cam flanged edge 15 While the opposite edge is returned as shown at 15 to where it may enga e with the flange 12 of the member 1. channeled split ring 16 .pro-

vided with two oustanding lugs 17 at the split portion is adapted to maintain the return end 15 of the annular member 13 and the flanged portion 12 of the member 1 in work-en aging relation. This is readily accomplishe by passing a screw 18 through screw-threaded openings in'said lugs 17. The annular member 14 is provided with flan ed edges 19 and 20, the flanged edge 20 eing cammed or at an angle to the flanged edge 19. The flanged edges 15 and 20 are adapted to be held 1n work-engaging relation by means of a channeled split ring 21 engaging the flanges 15 and 20. The channeled split ring 21 is provided with lug members 22, which are perforated and screw-threaded for reception of screws whereby the ring may be tightened so as to closely grip the flanges of themembers 13 and 14. The cam edges of the members 13 and 14 are placed at the same angle so that the said members 13 and 14 may extend in the same plane upon certain rotation, such as shown in Figure 4. A third annular member 22 provided with a flanged edge 23 may be held in working relation to the member 14 by means of a channeled split ring 24 constructed in accordance with the s ilt rings 21 and 16. The lens-a is adapte to be placed between the flanges 19 and 23 whereupon the spilt ring 24 may engage said flanges and be tightened by the screw member passing through the lugs in said member 24. The lens a may be of any form, that in the drawing being the commercially known prismatic lens. Obviously I might continue to add annular sections similar to those shown at 13 and 14 and build a complete curve so that light reflected from the interior upon proper adjustment of other members would be directed over a given curved path. The member 13 is so constructed as to carry the lens a. This lens will of course direct rays of light in a given ath, depending upon rotation thereof. E1 the showing, the rays of light coming from the source of light would be directed upwardly through the lens (1. Thus by properly turning the member 14 the bulls eye or center of the lens a would be brought to a proper position to directly focus outwardly any rays of light passing through the lens a. The correct position might be that illustrated in Fi re 1, which shows that the member 14 has n rotated so that the lens (1 assumes an angle with respect to the member 13. If itv is not desired to use the lens 0, and this would not at all times be necessary, the member 13 might be removed by loosening the split rings 16 and 21'and the member 14 brought in position against the flanged member 12 and one of the ring members as 21 slipped over said flanges. The lens a could be adjusted as to position and this might be the desirable combination where a small angle is included between a switch member and the main line track or in case of the use such as shown in Figure 3, or on the ordinary block signals. If the an le between the main line and the switch, or or that matter the ade was very steep, the lens 0 or a plurality of said lenses, could of course be used. In fact, by the arrangement shown and by using a sufiicient number of the lenses 0 with the members carrying the same, it is possible to build a complete circle and cause the rays of hlight to be returned to the source of li t.. e

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in de arture from the general description and s owing of the accompanying drawing, in adapting the invention to various conditions of um and service, without departing from the true spirit of the invention.

Havin thus disclosed my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

'1. In a lantern, a body member provided with a light opening, a source of light within said body, a hood turnably mounted on said body over said light opening, the outer end of said hood extending at an angle to the axis of the hood, a second hood, the rear end of said second hood extending at an angle to the axis of the hood, and means for joining the inclined ends of said first and second hoods so that said hoods may be turned to different positions with relation to each other.

2. In a lantern, a body member provided with a light opening, a source of light within said body, a hoodturnably mounted on said body over said light opening, the outer end of said hood extending at an angle to its axis, an annular flange formed on said outer end of said hood, a second hood formed with a rear angular edge and an annular flange on said edge, and a channel ring surrounding and enga ing said flanges to permit said hoods to e turned and adjusted to different positions with relation to each other.

3. In a lantern, a body member provided with a light opening, a source of light within said body, a hood turnably mounted on 1 said body over said light opening, the outer 1 end of said hood extending at an angle to the axis of the hood, a second hood, the rear end of, said second hood extending at an angle to the axis of the hood, and means for joining the inclined ends of said first and second' hoods so that said hoods may be turned to different positions with relation to each other; there being a lens carried Within the first hood.

4. In a lantern, a body provided with a and surrounding said light opening, a lens within said hood, said lens having one face thereof at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the hood, and a second face thereof inclined relatively to the first face; there bein a second lens for placement in front of t e first lens; means being associated with the hood for carrying said second lens and whereby the second lens may be rotated so that the axis of said lens may assume angularities relative to the longitudinal axis of the hood.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE FQZAUN.

Witnesses:

WM. E. TOWNSEND, GEO. MYERS. 

